tin pan alley?

Might I have a future as a songwriter? All songwriters need inspiration and mine came from good ol’ Barnes buddy Dave, a.k.a. Stick, a.k.a. Chappelletti. We were the two tallest in our class, and competed for biggest renegade. He practices in Marin County and I decided a few years back I should look him up on one of our frequent excursions out there. I wrote him a snail-mail letter and he said he had to read it over twice to make sure it wasn’t some sort of scam. We met up and found we had more in common now than back in the day. I visit him regularly and am recipient of his voluminous e-mail and mp4 output. The world is not shaping up to Dave’s satisfaction, and he’d become particularly disappointed with how his Austin College roommate and one-time best man “Eggy”, who after a career as a CIA analyst now in high finance in London has gone totally woke. After yet another screed, I realized a path Dave might follow for the benefit of his mental health. A Peter, Paul, and Mary tune from the 60s folk revival came to mind, and the new lyrics just poured forth, with apologies to Peter Yarrow (performer) and Leonard Lipton (author of the poem that inspired the song). Insider alert: the mascot at little Austin College – the Antioch of Texas – is the Kangaroo. Hence Austin faithful are ” ‘roos”.

Flush, the tragic drag-on

Out to the sea

Let him pollute that vast expanse

And not the mind of me.

He’ll be o.k. swimmin’

With all the other turds

Like his hero Biden and Kam’s salad of words

Oh, flush, the tragic drag-on

Out to the sea

Let him pollute that vast expanse

And not the mind of me.

Oh, E.G. used to be one

Solid upright dude

But someone got inside his head

And fucked his attitude

Now he’s with the lefties

And praises all they say

While good friends from his old ‘roo times

Shake their heads in dismay

Flush, the tragic drag-on

Out to the sea

Let him pollute that vast expanse

And not the mind of me.

‘roo friends are forever, but for politics

What can you do when another ‘roo

Says stuff that makes you sick?

Tis for a pity such a great mind

Once had style and taste

Who knows how it happened

But it’s all gone to waste.

Flush, the tragic drag-on

Out to the sea

Let him pollute that vast expanse

And not the mind of me.

Here you can hear Stick himself singing the tune

Should you be nostalgic for the P,P & M original, here ya go (1).

Reference

1. Puff The Magic Dragon — Peter, Paul & Mary ~ Live 1965. YouTube. https://youtu.be/z15pxWUXvLY